Milk bottle crate



Aug. 22, 1933. H w K R 1,923,344

MILK BOTTLE CRATE Filed Dec. 23, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet l Zilwwnf 01' UI o Hum am, W 0 F Q N w? (/7 Aug. 22, 1933.

H. w. WALKER 1,923,344

MILK BOTTLE CRATE Filed Dec. 23, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I i v Q I HWY Walker 1933. H, w. WALKER 1,923,344

MILK BOTTLE CRATE Filed Dec. 23, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 HW. I I aZw Patented Aug. 22, 1933 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application December 23, 1930 Serial No. 504,379

2 Claims.

This invention relates to bottle crates and particularly to a crate designed for the carriage of milk bottles. Crates of this character must be relatively light and yet at the same time so designed as to stand hard usage and be capable of being stacked, that is, disposed one on top of the other, without the crates shifting relative to each other.

The general object of the invention is to provide a crate of this character which will fulfill the requirements stated above, which may be made of a series of wooden strips, which will hold these strips in rigid relation to each other, and which is so constructed that the bottom of the crate is particularly strong and well braced.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the crate;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross section on the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical section on the line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary vertical section through one corner of the box;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary elevation of one corner of the box;

Figure 9 is a section on the line 99 of Figure 8.

Referring to these drawings, it will be seen that the crate has four walls. These walls are formed of slats 10 and 11, 10 designating the side slats and 11 the end slats. These slats are held together in assembled relation at the corners by the inner corner pieces 12 of heavy sheet metal which are right angular in cross section. These angular corner pieces 12 extend to the bottom end of the crate and at their upper ends are deflected inward and extend upward and above the top of the crate as at 13.

Disposed on the exterior of the corners are the exterior heavy sheet metal corner pieces 14. These also are right angular in form and the edges of the corner pieces are bent inward as at 15 extending into grooves or kerfs 16 cut in the wooden slats 10 and 11. The rivets or like elements 1'7 pass through the two corner pieces and through the slats. These rivets do not necessarily have to pass through all of the slats, but

should at least pass through the top and bottom slats and one of the intermediate slats.

At their lower ends, the exterior corner pieces 14 are bent inward at 18 and then upward at 19 over the interior corner pieces 12 as shown most clearly in Figure 7, the rivet 17 at this point extending through the outer corner piece through the lowermost slat, through the inner corner piece and through the upturned portion 19. Thus these corner pieces thoroughly protect the corners of the box at the lower end.

Disposed to embrace the bottom slats between the corner pieces are the U-shaped protective shields 20 of sheet metal which are held in their places at the ends of each of the shields or U-shaped strips by means of rivets 21. These shields terminate just short of the corner pieces and act to protect the lower edges of the lower slats from wear and deformation.

Extending transversely between the lowermost side slats of the box and adjacent the lower edges thereof are bars 22 V-shaped in cross section, the bars having their reantrant faces directed downward. I have illustrated two of these bars extending in spaced relation across the botb tom of the box between the sides thereof. These bars are held in place by the transversely extending rods 23, these rods extending through the reinforcing strips or shields 20 and having their ends overturned to form heads. 8

Extending longitudinally of the box and passing through these bars 22 are the longitudinal rods 24. These extend through the V-shaped bars 22 at right angles to the rods 23 and below the same and hold these rods 23 in place. The ends of these gfl rods 24 also extend through the reinforcing strips or shields 20 and have overturned heads.

Extending upward at a plurality of points from the transverse bars 22 are the sheet metal posts 25. These are U-shaped in cross section. The 9% lower end of each post is split at 26 and the wings thus formed are deflected over the V-shaped bars 22 as at 27. The longitudinal bars 23 pass through these deflected ends 27 and hold these deflected ends upon the V-shaped bars 22. These posts 25 i'do extend vertically upward. Intermediate the cross bars 22, there are also a number of posts 25, the lower ends of which are split as at 26, but these are not deflected but simply embrace an intermediate cross rod 24 as shown in Figure 2, the lon- (l5 gitudinal rod 24 extending through this split end and below the rod 28.

In order to hold the posts 25 in their vertical position and in proper alinement with each other, I provide the transverse rods 29. Two of these 1T0 rods 29 extend transversely through the posts in line therewith and a plurality of longitudinal rods 30 extend longitudinally of the box and through the posts 25 and approximate the rods 29. The wires 29 and 30 both extend through the side walls of the box and their ends are headed as at 31 over washers 32 preferably disposed in countersinks in the walls of the box. There are two series of these longitudinal and transverse rods 29 and 30, these series defining square compartments for milk bottles, the corners of the compartments being formed by the posts 25.

This construction holds the posts rigidly against movement in any direction and the posts in turn brace the rods while the rods not only define compartments but brace the walls of the box from each other so that the whole structure is particularly rigid and strong. Two of the end slats are preferably cut away at 33 to form handle openmgs.

It will be seen that a box constructed in accordance with my invention can be readily set up and formed, that it is very strong and rigid, that the wood of which the box is formed is protected at the corners and at the bottom from injury, that the boxes may be stacked one on top of the other without danger of the boxes sliding of]? each other, and that the ends of the box are held against the side walls not only by the longitudinal rods but by the inwardly turned edges 15 which engage in the relatively deep kerfs 16. The sides of the box are held in proper relation to the ends by means of the transverse rods 28 and 30 and by means of the inner corner pieces which are riveted to the outer corner pieces.

I claim:-

1. A crate having four walls, transversely extending sheet metal cross bars disposed between the side walls and the bottom of the crate, vertical sheet metal posts split at their lower ends and embracing at their lower ends the cross bars and extending upward therefrom, rods extending longitudinally through the cross bars and through the side walls of the crate, rods extending at right angles to the first named rods but below the first named rods and extending transversely through the cross bars and the lower ends of the posts and through the end walls of the crate, and a plurality of sets of crossed rods extending through the posts at right angles to each other and through the side and end walls of the crate.

2. In a crate having four walls, transversely extending sheet metal cross bars V-shaped in cross section, rods extending longitudinally within the V-shaped cross bars and having their ends passing through opposite end walls of the box and headed and transversely extending rods extending through the opposite walls of the box and being headed, said last named rods being disposed at right angles to the first-named rods and the cross bars and extending through the cross bars and holding the first named rods in place therein, vertically disposed sheet metal posts U-shaped in cross section having their lower ends split to embrace the V-shaped cross bars, the second named rods passing through said split ends of the posts, and a plurality of sets of crossed bars extending through the posts and through the side and end walls of the crate and having their ends headed.

HARRY W. WALKER. 

